Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
| Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun | |||
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| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| Historic District | |||
 Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun |
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| location | Colorado Springs , El Paso County , Colorado | ||
| Coordinates | 38 ° 46 '21.3 " N , 104 ° 51' 45" W | ||
| Built | 1937 | ||
| architect | Charles E. Thomas | ||
| NRHP number | 94001229 | ||
| The NRHP added | November 3, 1994 | ||
The Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun ( German Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun ) is a monumental as Mausoleum serving tower plant southwest of Colorado Springs in the US state of Colorado . It stands on the eastern slope of Cheyenne Mountain about 600 meters above Colorado Springs at an altitude of about 2,400 meters above sea level . The tower, which is based on a steel and concrete structure, reaches a height of almost 35 meters. A visitor platform at a height of around 24 meters provides an excellent view. The tower, completed in 1937, is clad with locally mined granite.
description
The tower , which can only be reached via a serpentine road leading through the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, was designed by the local architect Charles E. Thomas at the instigation of the philanthropist Spencer Penrose (1865-1939). On the lowest floor of the tower there is a chapel oriented towards the European Baroque , in which Spencer Penrose, his wife Julie Penrose (1870-1956) and their friends Harry Leonard and Horace Devereux are buried. This chapel is equipped with a handmade crucifix made in Germany, two prayer benches from 15th century France, a marble altar from the 16th century and a ceramic group of figures from the Della Robbia family from the 16th century.
The floor above, which is also the main entrance, includes a history room in addition to the staircase leading to the top. Paintings by Randall Davey depict key historical events in the history of the Pikes Peak area .
The other three rooms distributed over the tower are dedicated to Will Rogers and show the most important stages in his life. Will Rogers was a friend of the Penroses. He was a noted comedian , entertainer, and actor of Native American descent and was greatly admired by Spencer Penrose. Rogers died in a plane crash on August 15, 1935 while the tower was already under construction. The name of the tower can also be traced back to Rogers. The reference to the sun in the name refers to the illumination of the tower by the morning and evening sun.
The facility was listed on November 3, 1994 as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places with the number 94001229.
literature
- Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun , El Pomar Foundation
Web links
- Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Shrine of the Sun in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed July 29, 2017.